Olympia group working to save USS Olympia

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) -- A group of former Washington state officials and maritime history buffs is trying to raise millions of dollars to help save the USS Olympia.

It was the flagship of the Navy squadron that fired the opening salvos in the Battle of Manila in the 1898 Spanish-American War. The USS Olympia now sits at the Independence Seaport Museum on the bank of the Delaware River in Philadelphia. The museum says it needs $7 million to start a $20 million restoration project.

The Olympian reports (http://bit.ly/WBk7aM) the group Friends Of The Olympia in the namesake city is launching a website to raise funds for the Olympia's final battle -- just to stay afloat.